Paul's Rapture View
Paul indicated to these Christians, and his main reason for addressing the resurrection / rapture, was so they would not sorrow as those who had no hope. It is apparent the Thessalonians had a question about the resurrection that Paul was trying to answer. Their sorrowing had to do with those who had died. In his answer, Paul clarified the exact events surrounding the resurrection and rapture. While the question is not stated, we can reconstruct it from Paul's answer. Notice his answer linked the timing of the resurrection to the catching up of the living saints. Therefore, their question most likely concerned the fact of, and the timing of, the resurrection of the dead in Christ. Notice that Paul, in answering their question, assumed his readers were familiar with the Lord's coming itself. He attached the timing of the resurrection of dead saints to an event they were already familiar with, the catching up of the living saints.
1 Thess. 4
I want you to notice that before Paul begins to speak of the timing of the resurrection, he mentioned "the coming of the Lord" as though they were already familiar with this event. He took it for granted that they knew what the "coming of the Lord" was. Then he proceeded to link the timing of the resurrection of the dead saints to this event.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
These believers were already familiar with the Lord's descending from heaven, and the living believers being caught up in the clouds when the trumpet sounds. Paul simply placed the resurrection of the dead saints in the proper place in the sequence of events. In essence, Paul does this by saying that the dead saints will rise just before we are "caught up." So, it apparent that the Thessalonians were familiar with Christ's coming, and the "catching up" of the living believers. But, they were not sure where the resurrection of the dead saints fit in. How is it that they knew about the coming of Christ, and the catching up of the living saints, but did not understand where the resurrection fit in? It is because of their familiarity with the Olivet Discourse. In that passage, Jesus described His coming, and the gathering of the elect, but He did not specifically mention the resurrection of the dead.
Matthew 24
Paul's words would, no doubt, bring to memory the words of Christ in the Olivet Discourse. Notice the similar language. Both mention the coming of the Lord. Both mention the sounding of the trumpet to gather His own. Both mention angelic participation. But when we look at Jesus' words, we see that He did not mention the resurrection of the saints specifically in the Olivet Discourse. Based on these things, the Thessalonians' question for Paul becomes apparent. They wanted to know, when the trumpet sounds, and Jesus comes in power and glory, sending His angels to gather His elect, what will happen to those who have previously died? Will they be raised to witness the revelation of Christ to the world in all His glory, and to participate in the establishment of Christ's Kingdom? Or will they be raised at some other time? Or perhaps not at all? The fact that Jesus only spoke of the living, and did not place the resurrection in His sequence of events described in the Olivet Discourse, caused these Christians to worry about their departed brethren not participating in the spectacular events surrounding Christ's revelation to the world in power and glory, and the setting up of His Millennial Kingdom. Paul's answer indicates that this was indeed the problem. By linking the timing of the resurrection to the gathering of the living that Jesus spoke of, Paul completely resolved the problem for them, and gave them reason for hope regarding their loved ones who had died.
Again, so far we find nothing in Paul's writings that conflicts with the scenario described by Jesus. And, we also see Paul's relying on Jesus' Olivet Discourse. In the articles that follow, you will see that Paul actually used the Olivet Discourse as a backdrop for His teaching about the rapture. Jesus' teaching was the authority, and Paul simply supplemented it with additional details, and dealt with questions arising from Jesus' discourse.
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [or precede] them which are asleep.
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
